Sole support device

ABSTRACT

Means for supporting a ski boot on a ski and for facilitating sideward movement thereof in connection with an emergency release. An endless belt is arranged around suitable support means and positioned for movement transversely of the ski. By supporting the boot on such belt means, same is able to move against low but constant frictional resistance laterally with respect to the ski upon the occurrence of emergency release conditions. The belt may be supported upon fixed plate means suitably spaced from the ski if desired or it can be supported around rods supported, preferably rotatably, in space relationship to the ski.

United States Patent 1191 Smolka 1 SOLE SUPPORT DEVICE [75] Inventor: Thomas Gordon Smolka, Vienna, Mauer, Austria [73] Assignee: Wiener Metallwarenfabrik Smolke &

Co., Lindauergasse, Austria [22] Filed: Aug. 23, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 174,061

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 24, 1970 Austria 8611 [52] US. Cl 280/1135 C [51] Int. Cl. A63c 9/08 [58] Field of Search 280/l1.35 C, 11.35 R,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,511,516 5/1970 Smolka et al. 280/1135 C Marker 280711.35 T Hecker 280/1135 c 5 7] ABSTRACT Means for supporting a ski boot on a ski and for facilitating sideward movement thereof in connection with an emergency release. An endless belt is arranged around suitable support means: and positioned for movement transversely of the ski. By supporting the boot on such belt means, same is able to move against low but constant frictional resistance laterally with respect to the ski upon the occurrence of emergency release conditions. The belt may be supported upon fixed plate means suitably spaced from the ski if desired or it can be supported around rods supported, preferably rotatably, in space relationship to the ski.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SOLE SUPPORT DEVICE The invention relates to a support device for a skiboot sole which device has at least one element supported movably on, and with respect to, the ski.

Guide plates are known which during a safety release move with the ski-boot and with respect to the ski and which are then returned to their original central position through any convenient elastic return means. Such guide plates are expensive since the return means constitute an additional component and same are not wholly satisfactory anyway inasmuch as such elastic return means can easily become damaged.

If the return means fails to function, then the guide plate tends to stop in one extreme lateral position and is then no longer capable of moving with respect to the ski in the direction toward which it is already displaced. During a safety release, depending on the surface structure of the guide plate and the ski-boot sole, variable a frictional forces will occur, such variable forces occurring, for example, as the result of ice, snow, dirt and the like.

The purpose of the invention is now to avoid these disadvantages and to produce a simple device in which I same to be endlessly movably supported transversely to the ski by looping same around suitable support means. In this manner, the support device, that is, the endless band, is independent of whether, how far, or in which direction it is moved and it is always ready for operation without requiring any kind of return to a zero or neutral position.

The subject matter of the invention is illustrated by the several exemplary embodiments appearing in the drawings, in which: a FIG. 1 illustrates the mounting of a ski-boot on the ski.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate in associated views a device embodying the invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are front and cross-sectional views of a further possible embodiment.

According to FIG. 1 the ski-boot l is held on the ski 5 with its sole 2 between conventional releasable binding parts, for example a rear tensioning means 3 and a front jaw 4. During a twisting fall (swivel fall) the shoe is released or turned out of the binding parts 3 and 4 and thus moves with respect to the ski 5. Depending on how the binding parts 3 and 4 are adjusted, the shoe may slide sidewardly from the ski more in the zone of the sole toe or it may slide more in the zone of the heel. In order to improve the likelihood that the boot will be freed the invention provides between the ski-boot and the ski one or more sole support devices 6,7 which both reduce the friction between the boot and ski and render same more constant from one instance to another.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the sole support device consists of support means 9 comprising a generally inverted U- shaped member (FIG. 3) having a pair of the legs 9A and 9B connected to the ski 5 and an interconnecting bight portion 9C. An endless band 8 loops around the support means 9 secured on the ski 5. The support means 9 is in its central zone 9C where the endless band 8 is supported to be sufficiently spaced from the ski that the lower reach of the endless band 8 will not contact the ski to any appreciable extent during a movement thereof around the support means 9.

In use, the ski-boot rests on the endless band 8. If there occurs a safety release in which the boot moves with respect to the ski, then the endless band 8 moves with the boot until the ski is released. Only the friction which occurs between the endless band 8 and the support means 9 and which is always constant must be with this invention overcome. Thus the surface structure between ski-boot and the endless band 8, which can naturally be changed as a result of ice, snow, dirt and the like, has no influence on the releasing process. In order to prevent a penetration of ice, snow and the like below the endless band, cover parts 10 can be arranged on the ski 5 laterally of the band 8.

As appears in FIGS. 4 and 5, the support means may be formed of two angles 11 secured on the ski 5, which angles serve as bearing blocks for several rods 12 around which the endless band is placed. The friction resisting movement of the band may be still further reduced by rotatably supporting such rods.

The invention is, of course, not limited to the illustrated embodiments. There are presently recognized a number of further possible embodiments which lie within the scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Means for supporting a ski-boot on a ski and for lateral movement of said boot with respect to said ski, comprising in combination:

a pair of spaced angles supportable on a ski and in facing relationship to each other;

a plurality of rods extending between the facing portion of said angles, said rods in a mounted position on a ski being spaced from an adjacent surface of said ski and substantially parallel thereto; and

an endless belt extending around said rods;

whereby a ski-boot whose sole is supported on and by said belt can move laterally under emergency release conditions against low but constant frictional resistance.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said rods are rotatably supported on and by said angles.

3. In combination with releasable ski binding means, a ski shoe sole support device, comprising:

support means mounted on an upper surface of said ski and separate from said ski binding;

endless band means mounted on said support means for movement transversely of the longitudinal direction of said ski, said endless band means having an upwardly facing planar surface parallel with said upper surface of said ski and adapted to engage said ski shoe sole and support said ski shoe sole during an application of a lateral force to said ski shoe sufficient to release said ski binding, which force causes a lateral movement of said ski shoe.

4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said endless band means engages said support means in such a manner as to generate a low but constant friction force during a release of said ski binding.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein said support means is composed of a generally inverted U-shaped member having a pair of legs and a connecting bight portion, saidlegs engaging said upper surface of said ski, the bight portion being vertically spaced abovesaid ski, said endless band being wrapped around said bight portion so that said planar upper surface is above said bight portion and engages said ski shoe sole and a lower reach is below said bight portion and is spaced from said upper surface of said ski.

* a Ita: 

1. Means for supporting a ski-boot on a ski and for lateral movement of said boot with respect to said ski, comprising in combination: a pair of spaced angles supportable on a ski and in facing relationship to each other; a plurality of rods extending between the facing portion of said angles, said rods in a mounted position on a ski being spaced from an adjacent surface of said ski and substantially parallel thereto; and an endless belt extending around said rods; whereby a ski-boot whose sole is supported on and by said belt can move laterally under emergency release conditions against low but constant frictional resistance.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said rods are rotatably supported on and by said angles.
 3. In combination with releasable ski binding means, a ski shoe sole support device, comprising: support means mounted on an upper surface of said ski and separate from said ski binding; endless band means mounted on said support means for movement transversely of the longitudinal direction of said ski, said endless band means having an upwardly facing planar surface parallel with said upper surface of said ski and adapted to engage said ski shoe sole and support said ski shoe sole during an application of a lateral force to said ski shoe sufficient to release said ski binding, which force causes a lateral movement of said ski shoe.
 4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said endless band means engages said support means in such a manner as to generate a low but constant friction force during a release of said ski binding.
 5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein said support means is composed of a generally inverted U-shaped member having a pair of legs and a connecting bight portion, saidlegs engaging said upper surface of said ski, the bight portion being vertically spaced above said ski, said endless band being wrapped around said bight portion so that said planar upper surface is above said bight portion and engages said ski shoe sole and a lower reach is below said bight portion and is spAced from said upper surface of said ski. 